Half way through the forest trail, Ruby glanced at Teresa's weapon. To her it looked very familiar, it almost looked like her grandmother's sword that went missing years ago. But there was only one emblem on it and the grip was a different color, so it had to be a different sword.
"What is that weapon of yours?" Ruby suddenly asked her companion, they were walking out of the forest in silence and she had become uncomfortable from the silence.
"It's a claymore, Ruby," Teresa said as she pulled her weapon out of its scabbard on her back, slowly inspecting the blade then glanced at her small companion. "Why do you ask?
"Sorry, I.. uh… I'm a huge weapons nut and I was just wondering if I can see it? It kinda looks familiar..." Ruby stammered as she eyed the claymore in Teresa's hand. Teresa merely chuckled at that.
"I see, I don't suppose you can wait until we get to your home?" Teresa said as she returned the weapon to the scabbard on her back. Ruby nodded weakly as they exited the forest. "Though, I believe you have seen one like this.
"Yea... well… my grandmother had one that looked like it. Did someone special make it for you?" Ruby asked.
"There's a few out there but they aren't that common and very hard to make. But it's very likely that your grandma's sword was a sister blade to this one."
Ruby's eyes lit up at the thought of the two swords being made by the same person. She looked up and saw her home with the lights on.
"Oh, I think Yang is back now, c'mon miss Teresa, let's hurry!" Ruby said as she sped up towards her home. Teresa looked on and then ran after the young girl easily catching up to her. Ruby gave off a surprised squeak as Teresa caught up to her.
"H-how did you do that?" Ruby exclaimed, no one was able to match her speed when she used her semblance, but her new companion was able to catch up to her rather easily.
"Oh, this?" Teresa said as she smiled faintly at her young charge, "I'm just fast Ruby. Sometimes when I dodge attacks I leave after images of myself, and my enemy mistakenly attacks, leaving themselves wide open." This reminded her of a young girl who had recently become a claymore, whose natural talent was speed. If she remembered the nickname she earned right, it was Phantom Miria.
"That is so cool! Can you teach me some other things that you know?" Ruby asked squealing like a stereotypical high school girl that saw what interested her.
Teresa chuckled "Very well, but looks like we're here, how about you introduce me to this sister of yours?" The young red reaper nodded eagerly to introduce Teresa to her family.
…
"Yang! Dad! I'm home!" Rudy yelled as she opened the door. Teresa followed her into the house and noticed two blonde people enter the living room. One was an older man and the other was a teenage girl who looked a few years older than Ruby. "Oh! And this is Teresa, we met when I was returning from visiting mom and grandma." Ruby gestured at Teresa as the two blondes looked at her. Teresa nodded then spoke, "A pleasure to meet you, my name is Teresa. I'm a traveler of sorts and I just happen to come upon miss Rose here surrounded by ah… Grimm, so I intervened to help her."
"It's a pleasure to meet you miss Teresa, and thank you for aiding Ruby, oh right my name is Taiyang, Taiyang Xiao Long, but you can call me Tai," Tai said then gestured to the other blonde. "And this is Ruby's sister, well half sister, Yang."
"A pleasure, Taiyang, Yang," Teresa said, but at that moment another memory surged forward. When you see Tai, please give him the letter in your bag. Teresa reached into her bag and pulled out an old looking letter and handed it to Tai. "I believe this is for you."
Tai opened the letter and began to read it.
Dear Taiyang,
If you are reading this then I have died and Summer is nowhere to be found. I have asked Teresa here to help Ruby train some hidden talents that she has inherited from an ancestor of hers. Normally Summer or I would train her but as I have said Summer has disappeared and I have died. Teresa specializes in these talents and can help Ruby naturally learn them as she learns to become a huntress. When it is time, I want you to give her my claymore. It will come even more natural to her than any other weapon she makes. I have seen this in Summer when she was young.
When Teresa hands you this letter, she will need a place to stay while she teaches Ruby. I ask that you please provide a room for her, she will need it. Also while she is training Ruby, Yang may learn a few things from her as well. She will be a good influence on both of them. Please do this for me as my final request.
Yours truly, your mother-in-law
Emilia Rose
Tai looked up from the letter speechless. He looked at Ruby and smiled. "Miss Teresa," he began.
"Just Teresa is fine," Teresa said with a faint smile.
"Teresa," Tai said smiling back. "Would you like a place to stay while you train Ruby here and maybe Yang as well? We have a spare room that you can use."
"Well thank you, Tai, that would be most appreciated."
"Well Ruby looks like your grandma found you a new teacher before she passed away."
"Yay!" Ruby cheered. "Oh, before I forget can I see your weapon now?"
"Ruby!" Yang berated her younger sister.
"Oops… Sorry" Ruby said sadly, as Teresa smiled at her charge's little antics.
"I suppose so. I did promise you that I would show you my weapon, didn't I?" Teresa said as she took her claymore out of its scabbard. She gave it a small look over then glanced at Ruby. "Careful, it's quite heavy you know."
As Teresa handed Ruby her claymore, Yang suddenly shouted. "Where did you get that sword!"
Ruby visibly flinched when she saw her sister's eyes turn red. "Yang calm down! It's not grandma's sword. Grandma's claymore was one of the few that were made by the same people. Look even the emblem is different and grandma's has two."
Yang's eyes changed back to their normal lilac color as she calmed down. "I'm sorry it's just… Grandma's sword disappeared when she died and we still don't know where it is."
"That's understandable Yang. I get where you're coming from but there are more than one of these claymores out there." Teresa calmly explained.
Yang simply nodded and watched her sister try and hold up the claymore. "It's… quite heavy…" Ruby huffed as she struggled to hold up the claymore properly, once she got it to the proper height, a natural feeling washed over her body. When the feeling faded it felt like she had used the sword for years and was accustomed to its weight.
"Whoa! What was that?" Ruby asked. Everyone just remained silent. "I wonder what materials were used to make this."
Teresa smiled, this will be a long night after all. She answered all of their questions, especially why she has silver eyes, albeit keeping the truth for such reasons…
…
The next day Teresa woke up and walked into the bathroom. When she changed to use the bath, she noticed the stitched up wound that marred the body of a claymore was completely gone. I see… so that's what he meant by some changes when he sent me here, Teresa mused as she traced the line where the wound was supposed to be as she bathed. When she got done bathing and got dressed, she met both Ruby and her sister Yang in the kitchen preparing breakfast. "Dad went out early," Yang explained the absence of the older man. "And Ruby and I were wondering what was on that letter you gave dad last night?" she asked.
"That letter was given to me by your late grandmother and it explained to your father why I was here."
"And that was?"
"To be Ruby's new teacher. Your grandmother asked me to teach Ruby how to harness a hidden talent she has inherited from her mother's side of the family and she even said you can join in some of the lessons. Ruby has two more years of signal left and you have three months till beacon starts Yang." Teresa said thinking of the ways to teach Ruby how to sense Yoki in Grimm.
"Oh, that is so cool! What can I do? Will I be able to shoot lasers out of my eyes? Spontaneously combust like Yang does?" Ruby feverishly asked.
"Ruby!" Yang chastised her sister while being slightly embarrassed by one of the side effects of her semblance.
Teresa merely chuckled at the little red reaper's antics. "That will be a surprise until the lessons start. But until then, we should get a few things that will help with your training and find a proper spot to train." Teresa said.
"Well, we were going to head into town after breakfast. I need to get a few things and Ruby here needs more ammo after fighting that large pack of beowolves last night. Will the backyard work for a proper training spot, we have been using it for years." Yang said as she served Teresa a stack of pancakes.
"Well for normal training maybe, but the lessons I have planned need to be closer to Grimm for it to work. Also, what are these?" Teresa asked gesturing to the pancakes in front of her.
"Those are pancakes. I'm surprised you don't know what pancakes are." Yang said as she served Ruby a stack of pancakes.
"I traveled a lot for most of my life and I would be away from any sort of civilization for weeks to months at a time. So I never really had a chance to try new foods." Teresa said before biting into a piece of the food in front of her.
"Well, there's this spot that I know where Uncle Qrow used to train me. It's near the ocean and has plenty of space. Some times young Grimm will wander in while I was training there, making them great target practice." Ruby said after she downed her second piece of food.
"Well, why don't we check it out after we all get back from town. There are a few things I also need to get. If that's all right with the both of you." Teresa said as she noticed something. Huh… I still feel hungry after a few bites. Must be another one of the changes he mentioned.
"What exactly are you planning on getting?" Ruby asked.
"Well I need a new scroll," Teresa remembered Emilia telling her it's one of the first things she will need to get before she arrived on Remnant. "A thick iron chain about ten feet long, something to keep the chain stuck to the ground, a durable collar that can resist beowolf claws and a ribbon or blindfold."
"Will we be capturing a beowolf?" Yang asked with a bit of excitement in her eyes.
Teresa simply nodded.
"Oh man, I can't wait!" Yang said as she sat down at the table with her own stack of pancakes and proceeded to consume them as fast as she could.
"Yang slow down. You'll choke yourself!" Ruby warned her sister.
Yang simply smiled and continued eating but at a slower pace. After they finished eating, Yang and Ruby showed Teresa around Vale. The first thing they bought was Teresa's new scroll. After some help from Yang, she finally learned how to use it. When they got done shopping, with Yang buying Teresa some new clothes, Ruby showed them the spot where her uncle used to train her. When they got there a single beowolf was sitting right in the middle of the training area. It locked eyes with Teresa and tried to attack her but in a matter of five seconds, she managed to chain the creature to the center of the training area.
"Wow, she's fast," Yang said impressed.
Ruby simply nodded as Teresa stepped away from her work. The beowolf was struggling against its restraints trying to claw at Teresa. She merely smiled at her handiwork. Teresa then pulled out her claymore and carved a deep line in the dirt a good foot away from the beowolf. Teresa pulled out a long red ribbon from her bag.
"Ruby, will you come over here?" Teresa asked.
She ran over to Teresa very eager to learn what she had in store for her. "Yes, Teresa?" Ruby asked.
"Are you ready for your first lesson?"
Ruby was ecstatic. A new skill to learn was just in front of her. All she had to do was take the leap. She nodded her head with determination in her eyes.
"Good, now I want you to stand behind the line I carved in the dirt and face the beowolf," Teresa said pointing her claymore to the spot where she wanted the young red reaper to stand. Ruby stood in front of the beowolf and waited for her next set of instructions. "Now I'm going to cover your eyes with this ribbon. If anything goes wrong both me and Yang will kill the Grimm before it even hurts you." Ruby nodded as Teresa covered her eyes. "Now I want you to try and sense everything around you." Ruby didn't understand at first but tried to do so. At first, she could sense Yang's warm aura. It always brought her a bit of comfort but, Ruby doubt Teresa was trying to teach her how to sense aura. Then something happened. Ruby felt dark energy emitting right in front of her. It surprised and scared her at the same. Ruby quickly took off the blindfold and faced the dark energy that she sensed. She was staring directly at the chained up beowolf.
"Well done Ruby," Teresa said congratulating her.
"What happened?" Yang asked with a confused look on her face.
"Wha… What was that?!" Ruby exclaimed.
"You just sensed the energy given off by Grimm. This will give you an edge while fighting them."
"Th… That was scary." Ruby admitted.
Teresa placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby. It's okay to be afraid of it, but I believe you can take that fear and turn it into strength to face the Grimm. This skill will help you not only know where a Grimm is but also tell you how strong they are." She turned and decapitated the beowolf. After the body faded from existence, Teresa walked over to the chain and collar and put them in her bag. "Each lesson I teach you will get a bit harder and harder as time goes on." She turned to face Yang. "Yang. Will you help me gather Grimm for these lessons? The experience may be useful for you as well."
Yang slammed her fists together and smiled. "Now things are starting to get interesting."
"Umm Teresa? How did you know about this?" Ruby asked.
"I also can sense Grimm. In a fight, I can sense Grimm three hundred feet around me. While I am alone and can focus the range to its limits, I can sense up to three miles. Also while I am fighting Grimm, I can read the flow of that energy and can tell when they are going to attack me."
"Oh wow!" Ruby said with sparkles in her eyes.
…
Three months went by as Teresa taught Ruby how to sense Grimm and Yang how to capture them. As they went home they were passing by the beach.
"So Teresa, I've been wondering. What is your semblance?" Yang asked.
"Well Yang, I don't have one yet. The reason why I don't is that my aura is locked and I have yet to find a way to unlock it," she mused. She wasn't even sure she had one in the first place.
"Wow your that strong without an aura? I wonder how strong you will be when you unlock it." Ruby squealed. She remembered watching Teresa haul an Ursa to the training area while it was still alive and knocked out cold. Yang that day finally managed to learn how to knock out a beowolf and capture it without turning it to ash. And she managed to finally learn how to sense multiple Grimm while fighting them. So yea, in Ruby's opinion, today's lessons were a huge success.
"Hey, guys. What's that over there?" Yang asked pointing down at the beach. Ruby turned her head and looked to where her sister was pointing. On the beach, there lay something cyan and black in color. As she walked over to the object, its features grew more distinct. When she got close enough, Ruby realized that it wasn't an object but a person wearing armor.
"Yang! Teresa! I need some help over here!" She shouted as she ran to the man's side. The man was lying down in the surf, his armor was dented, cracked, and broken in multiple places and his arm had an unnatural look to it. He was also bleeding from cuts on his arm, leg, and torso. Ruby knew from the lessons she learned at Signal and from her uncle that being wounded could bring the Grimm down on you.
The man wasn't conscious but Ruby tried to get him to wake up. Both Yang and Teresa caught up to her. "Teresa, Do you know if there's any Grimm nearby? We don't want to be attacked by them trying to get this guy to the house."
Teresa closed her eyes and sensed a pack of beowolves in the forest far enough away not to be too concerned about them. "We are in the clear for now but that can change any moment," Teresa warned.
"Do you think you can carry him back to the house, Teresa?" Yang asked.
She nodded and began to pick the man up. While doing so, the man started to stir a bit and let out a few words before falling unconscious again.
"P… Partner… K… Kaiju…" was all the man managed to say. They all realized that that man wasn't the only one out there.
"Teresa please take him to the house. Yang and I will go look for the other guy." Ruby said as she took off down the beach. She placed the man on her back and hurried towards the Xiao Long residence. A memory popped into her head. It was the last thing Rabona said to her.
There will be others…
…
A/n: well guys I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. I have been wanting to write this story for some time. Also a side note I had just listened to the song forever fall from the new RWBY soundtrack and I do admit that I cried a lot.
Beta Note (B/N): I'll admit, this story took me by surprise when RS first told me about it. A bunch of different stories all coagulating into one big one? A daunting challenge to say the least. Still, I'm looking forward to where the story goes from here!
